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(NoModel.) 2 Sheets-Sheet'L E. B. STIMPSGN, Jr.

PERFORATING MACHINE.

No. 370,985. Patented Oct. 4, 1887.

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E. B. STIMPSON, Jr.

PERFORATING MACHINE.

No. 370,985. Patented 0011.4, 1887.l

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

EDWIN B. STIMPSON, JR., OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

PERFORATING-AMACHIN'E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 370,985, dated October 4, 1887.

Application tiled March 19, 1886. Serial No. 195,787. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern..-

Be it known that I, EDWIN B. S'rrnPsoN, Jr., of Brooklyn, in the county of'Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Punching Paper, &c., ot' which the following is a specication. y

My invention relates to machines for perforating paper, leather, thin sheet metal, or other materials by removing portions thereof to form lines or rows of fine perforations, and which comprise a reciprocating punch-holder carrying a line or row of punches separated by spaces and a die, in conjunction with which the punches act. p

My invention is more directly applicable to machines which are intended for forming very narrow and oblong or rectangular perforations, such as are very desirable in checkbooks and other papers. For performing this class of work avrotary perforatingwheel provided with projecting teeth serving as punches has been employed both in connection with an oppositely-arranged wheel or roller having a narrow circumferential groove receiving the teeth or punches and in connection with a straight slot formed between two parallel strips. In the 'former case, wherein is employed a bed roller or wheel having a narrow groove, both lthis roller or wheel and the rotary perforator carrying the punches have been geared together and operated either by hand or power. In machines where the rotary perforator or wheel is operated in connection with straight and dat bed-pieces, forming between them a slot, the perforator or wheel is rolled by hand over the paper, which is stationary upon such bed. In machines having a rotary perforator or punchwheel the punches of course have a circular motion, while the paper is straight and flat, and there is in such machines a tendency for the punches after cutting and in passing out of the paper to tear away the partitions or bridges of paper between the slots, and in machines having a rotary perforator or punch-wheel the perforations are not formed simultaneously throughout the length of the line to be perforated, but are formed successively one after another.

In machines to which to my invention re lates, and in which a line or row of punches is carried by a reciprocating punchhead, and is by the movements of the punch-head caused to operate to form an entire row or line of perforations at one operation, the die has invariably had separate and complete perforations or die-openings for each one of the punches, and such separate perforations or die-openings for the several punches have heretofore been considered indispensable in these machines. Although it was known that a rotary perforator or punch-wheel operating to form perforations in succession along aline from one end thereof to the other could be employed in connection with a continuous groove or slot over which the paper is supported, it has not heretofore been considered possible to employ such continuous slot in connection with a line or row of punches operating simultaneously, because it was supposed that the paper would be torn or cut away throughout the entire line or row and that the punches operating simultaneously would not leave intact the bridges or partitions of paper between the perforations.

By experiment I have discovered that where the perforations are to be made very narrow, say, about one siXtyAfourth of an inch wide, the work can be done much more perfectly by ra straight line or row of punches carried by a reciprocating punch-head and operating in connection with a long die-slot receiving the entire number of punches than can be done by a rotary perforator operating to punch holes successively from one end of a line or row to the other.

My invention therefore consists in the com bination, with a reciprocating punch head or holder carrying a straight row or series of punches separated by spaces and which by the movement of the punchholder are caused to operate simultaneously, of a die having a slot or long opening in which the punches operate, and a bed supporting the die and having an opening below the dieslot for the passage of scrap removed by the punches. I also prefer to employin connection with the reciprocating punch-head, its punches, and the die, con-' structed as above described, a stripper also having a long slot or opening through which the punches work, as. distinguished from a stripper of the kind ordinarily employed in' machines of this character and which has separate openings or perforations for the several punches.

The invention also consists in other novel combinations of parts, hereinafter described, andv pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of portions of a machine embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a front view thereof. Fig. 3 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating a slight modification of my invention. Fig. 4 is a front view similar to Fig. 2, also showing the modified construction of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is' a plan of the stripper alone. Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are respectively a plan and longitudinal section and an inverted plan or bottom view of a die embodying my invention. Figs. 9 and 10 are transverse sections of dies differing slightly in construction, and Figs. 11 and 12 are plans of two dies of a construction slightly different from those before referred to.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

The punches and dies here shown are intended to be employed in a machine which comprises a stationary bed to which the die is secured and a vertically-reeiprocating cross head having attached 'to it the punch-holder which carries theline or row ofpunches. A machine of any suitable construction and comprising these elements may be employed; but for the purpose of illustration I have shown herein parts of a machine which form the subjectare intended to slide upon vertical rods or guides. (Not here shown.)

G designates the punch-holder, which is secured to the cross head E bybolts g.

H designates the punches. I designates the stripper or stripper-plate, which is attached to the stripper-beam J; and C designates the die supported on the bed or frame C of the machine, and which has an opening opposite the die-opening to permit the escape of scrap removed by the punches. The punches H which are here shown are not separate one from another; but they are formed by notching the edge of the ilat plate H', as best shown in Figs. 2 and 4, in order to form the punches with parallel edges and their intervening spaces with parallel walls. The punches may be very cheaply formed in this way and will always be in perfect alignment, and this construction also enables the punches to be readily manipulated and conveniently placed in the machine. The plates H' (shown in Figs.'1 and 2) are slightly headed or upset at the upper edge and t in a narrow slot, S, formed between a front strip, s', and the part of the punch-holder G to which it is secured.

The punch-holder' G is channeled at the front, as shown at "t, so as to receive parallel packing-pieces h', inserted in this channel above the plate H', on which the punches are formed. The pieces h' are covered by a cap-plate, I', secured by screws I2 to the front of the punchholder. In this class of perforating-machinesit is often desirable to render a certain number of the punches at a desired point of the line or series inoperative, so that they, instead of puncturing the paper or other material, will stop on striking the material and fail to puncture it, while allowing the remaining punches and the punch-holder to be forced downward in order to perfor-ate the paper. The line or row of punches is formed upon a number of plates, H', which are arranged end to end and may be of any desired lengths, and the packing-stri ps h' are of corresponding lengths.

When it is desired to-render the punches 0f any one of the plates H' inoperative, all that is necessary is to remove the cap-plate I and take out one or both of the packing-pieces h' pertaining to that plate. The cap-plate I' may then be replaced and the plate H', from which the packing-pieces were removed, will be free to rise when its punches strike the material, and its punches will not operate.

In Figs. 3 and 4 the punchholder G has a very shallow channel or rabbet, in its face, and the plates H', on which the punches are formed, are of uniform thickness throughout.

vIn this case, also, a number of plates H',

which may be of different lengt-hs, will be arranged end to end, and the cap-plate I in this example of the invention is composed of sections which correspond in length to the plates H'. Whenever it is desired to render the punches of any one of the plates H' inoperative, the section of the cap-plate I pertaining to that plate H is removed, and then the plate H' is likewise removed, leaving all the remaining plates H secured fast to the punch-holder by their sections of the cap-plate I' and its screws l. In Fig. 2 I have shown a portion of the cap-plate I' broken away, and in Fig. 4 I have represented one of the sections of the cap-plate l and a corresponding plate H' removed.

The sections of the cap-plate l shown in Figs. 3 and 4 may each be secured by pins i and a single screw I2; but these pins and screws also pass through the plates H', on which are formed the punches.

The stripper I, of which a plan is shown in Fig. 5, has in it along narrow slot, i2, through which the punches H work. This stripper, as here represented, consists of a plate having a bar or piece, is, secured to its front edge by screws i, and the slot 2 is formed iu the meeting edges of these two pieces. In order to prevent the two pieces of which the stripper is composed from spreading, and thus widening the slot i2, I have represented said pieces as connected at intervals in the length of this slot by tie-pieces or keys j, which have enlarged heads or ends, and which are fitted to notches ICO j,formed in the adjacent edges ofthe two pieces of the stripper. In applying these tie-pieces small holes of the same size as the enlarged ends thereof are drilled in the pieces of the stripper and notches are cut in the edges to these holes, and after the tie-piece is inserted its ends are riveted over. These tiepieees or keys are so narrow that they will enter .the spaces between the punches H, and they prevent the spreading of the slot t2. The strip s may be connect-ed with the punch-holder G by keys like the keys] shown in Fig-5.

The die C has formed in it a slot or long opening, c, which is of very little width,being only sufficient tosnugly receive the punches H, and through which all the punches of the row or line work. Of course in the use of a punch and die of this character the paper is not supported around the entire outline of the perforations, but only at opposite sides thereof, and with large perforations the paper would be torn. When the perforations are oblong or rectangular and very narrow-say about one sixty-fourth of an inch wide by one-sixteenthor one-eighth of an inch long-thesupport afforded the paper at the opposite long sides of the perforation is sufiicient to enable the punches to operate effectively as long as the opposite iiatsides of the punches snugly fit the parallel sides of the die-slot.

The die C represented in Figs. 6, 7, and 9 is the same as that shown in Figs. 1 and 3,and the die shown in Fig. l0 differs but very little therefrom. The die proper is composed of an upper portion, which, as here represented, is madein two pieces, c', secured to a base portion or bar, c. This base portion or bar may be channeled, as shown in Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9, or it may have a fiat upper surface and be of equal width with `the two sections c which composethe upper portion of the die,as shown in Fig. l0. In both cases the slot c is formed in the meeting edges of the portions c', and,as shown in Fig. (i, is formed in the edge of one section, the other section having a plain straight edge.

The two sections c which form the upper surfaces of the die are firmly secured by rivets c3 or otherwise to the base portion or bar c2, and the die is secured to the bed or base C' of the machine by screws cinserted through holes ci in the die. In order to strengthen the base portion or bar c2 in its slot, which is coincident with the slot c, I have represented it as having shorter slots, o6, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, whichare inclined or beveled at the ends, so as to form triangular bridges c7 in the slot for tying the portions of metal at opposite sides ofthe slot together. Thetriangular shape and sharp apex of these bridges prevent the scrap or punchings of paper or other material from lodging and sheds them off. These bridges have considerable length between the 1 slots c, as shown in Fig. 8,- on the under side of the die; but they present a sharp apex at the upper side of the die.

Instead of forming the slot or long opening c of the die by recessingthe edge of one of the sections c', as shown in Fig. 6, the two sections c may be left with plain and straight edges, as shown in Fig. l1, and short packingpieces ci may be introduced between them at the ends, so as to properly fix the width of the slot formed between them. In Fig. 121 have represented a die made in a single piece hav.- ing in it a long narrow slot, c, at the ends of which are enlargements cg. Such enlargements, which are first formed by holes drilled through the die, enable a planing tool to readily start and terminate its cut in making the slot c.

As I before stated, if the perforations to be formed by the machine were` of any considerable size or width, it would be better to form separate die-openings for each ofthe punches, so as to support the paper around the entire outline of the perforation; but where the perforations are exceedingly narrow the line or row of punches may be operated in one long slot, as here shown, and if the punches are properly fitted in width to the dieslot they will make clean-cut perforat-ions by removing portions of the paper or other material punched. The cost of such a die is very materially less than a die having a separate open ing for each punch, and there can be no diffu culty in cutting the slot in exact alignment with the punches in a direction lengthwise of the die, as there sometimes is when each of t-he punches enters a separate die-opening.

I am aware that it is not new to employ for perforating paper a` machine having oppositely-arranged rollers or wheels, one provided with projecting punches and the other provided with a narrow kcircumferential groove in which the punches work; and I am also aware that it is not new to employ in connection with two .bed-pieces or parallel strips forming between them a narrow slot and on which the paper is laid a rotary perforator or wheel provided with radial punches,and which is by hand rolled along the paper so as to cause its punches to perforate the paper along the line of the straight slot in the bed. In both these machines the perforations in any line or row are not formed simultaneously, but are formed successively one after the other and from one end of the line or row to the other end thereof. In the operation of such a machine the paper, as each perforation is formed, is entirely imperforate, and therefore is strong upon one side or end ofthe perforation, and hence there is no possibility of the paper tearing except at one end of the perforation or upon the end which is next the adjacent perforation. l

It has heretofore been considered impossible to employ a long and continuons dieslot in connection with a line or row of punches which are carried by a reciprocating punchhead, and which operate simultaneously to produce the entire line or row of perforations. In perforating, the holes or perforations are formed very near together, and it has been ICO considered that if a line or row of punches upon a reciprocating punch-head were employed in connection with a long die-slot receiving all the punches the paper would not stand between the punches so as to form the perfect partitions or bridges desirable, but would be torn, thereby producing a long and ragged slit in the paper. Such a defect would of course render the machine useless.

It is well understood that the reciprocating punch-head carrying a line or row of punches and employed in connection with a die having separate die 'openings'or perforations Will produce far better work than can be performed by a rotary perforator, and I have experimented extensively to ascertain whether it were not possible to employ a reciprocating punch-head carrying a line or row of punches in connection with a single long dieslot. By these experiments I have found that such a construction is whollyT impracticable if the holes or perforations are to be of any considerable width; and I have also found by experiment with punches varying in thickness from one one-hundredth or two one-hundredths of an inch to one-eighth or one-'quarter of an inch in thickness that where the perforations to be formed are very narrow-say, for example, one sixtyfourth of an inch or thereahout-thc lwork can be perfectly performed by the employment of a reciprocating punch-head carryinga line or row of punches operating in connection with the die having a long and very narrow slot receiving all the punches.

Y VVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a reciprocating punch head or holder carrying a straight row or series of punches separated by spaces, and which, by the movement of the head or holder, are caused to operate simultaneously, of a die having a slot or long opening in which the punches operate and a bed supporting the die and having an opening below the die-slot for the passage of scrap removed by the punches, substantially as herein described.

2. rlhe combinatiomwith a series ofpuuches separated by spaces, of a die consisting of an upper portion having a slot or long opening for the punches, and a slotted base portion or bar, e2, having shorter slots, c, the ends of which are inclined or beveled, so as to form the triangular bridges c7, substantially as herein described.

3. The combination, with a reciprocating pu uch-holder carrying a straight series or row of punches separated by spaces, and which, by the movements of the punch-holder, are caused to operate simultaneously, of a die having a long slot or opening in which the punches operate and to the parallel sides of which the opposite sides or faces of the punches are accurately fitted, a stripper consisting of vparallel pieces having formed in their meeting edges a slot or long opening for the punches, and having the dovetailed or undercut notchesj at intervals in itsvlength, and the tie-pieces 0r keys j, made separate from the pieces composing the stripper and having enlarged heads inserted in the notches and connecting the two pieces of the stripper, said tie-pieces being arranged in the spaces between the pun ehes,sub stantially as herein described.

4. The combination, with a punch -holder and punches, which arevformed by ilat plates arranged end to end, and having their edges notched to form the punches with parallel edges and intervening spaces with parallel walls, of a cap-plate made entirely separate from the plates forming the punches and composed of sections corresponding in length to the flat plates forming the punches, whereby provision is afforded for removing any one or more of the flat plates on which are the punches and the corresponding section or sections of the cap-plate without disturbing the remaining plates on which are the punches and the remaining sections of the cap-plate, substantially as herein described. Y

EDWIN B. STIMPSON, JR. 

